Wizard Fibre and Concrete
Ponds
Traditionally, garden ponds have been made from various
materials using different construction methods but there
were advantages and disadvantages whichever you chose. Liners
are relatively cheap but tend to wrinkle badly when used
in an intricately shaped pond. Puncture resistance and life
expectancy can be of concern too. Pre-formed ponds don't
have these problems but you are restricted to the shapes
and sizes that are offered. Concrete ponds, if properly
built, will last a lifetime and are much more durable than
any other kind. They do, however, require care in their
construction if you are to reap all the benefits that this
material can offer. A little knowledge of construction techniques
will be useful but this is also available in the many pond-building
books.
The key point to remember is that the actual concrete or
concrete blocks do not make up a very large proportion of
the total project cost and it is therefore false economy
to skimp on their use in order to save a few pounds. If
the structure is sound you will never have any worries.
If you cut corners you may regret it later. If the budget
is tight it might be worth scaling down the project just
a little to ensure that it is done properly.
When the concrete or block shell of the pond has been completed,
the process of sealing the inside should begin. First, the
walls and floor need to be smoothed using a sand and cement
render and the surface of this should be scratched lightly
to give the next coat a key. The final coat should be about
5-6mm thick and should contain the appropriate quantity
of fibres (see instructions for use). This mix will have
a very high cement content which, when combined with the
fibres, will give a very tough, crack-resistant finish.
This type of mix would be impossible without the fibres
because the render would crack very badly as it dries. The
shrinkage is quite considerable and the coating has no significant
tensile strength.
The addition of Wizard Fibre has several long-lasting benefits,
with the bonus that it is very easy to use. The fibre matrix
and the fact that there is a high cement content means that
the mix is very sticky but creamy in texture. It flows and
adheres to the wall much more easily than a traditional
mix. This brings the practice of concrete pond-building
within the scope of the average hobbyist, thus saving a
considerable amount of money.
When the final Wizard render has set and dried it can be
painted with a proprietary pond paint (see instructions
for use). The special characteristics of Wizard ensure that
it disperses evenly in the mixer. The product appears to
be in flat strips but when water is added and it is subjected
to the action of the mixer, all of these strips break into
much finer strands. As these are so fine they do not present
any kind of hazard if some of them are protruding from the
final finish and therefore they do not require any further
attention.
A well constructed pond with a Wizard Fibre render and a
good quality pond paint could last a lifetime.
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A sample of Wizard Fibre.
A 5mm thick section of render has been torn
apart to show the eveness of the fibre matrix.
 Applying
the scratch coat (when it has started to dry, the surface
can be roughened to provide a key).
Applying the final render should be done
systematically. Here, the scratch coat is being dampened
prior to rendering.
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